The moment I look up, my stomach plummets.
The towering glass facade of the Rutherford Regent gleams under the Zurich sky, pristine and imposing—a stark contrast to the chaos swirling inside me.
This place should feel familiar. Safe.
But right now, it’s nothing but suffocating.
I’m so close to Colt.
Too close.
The fear slams into me first, sharp and unrelenting. Then, right on its heels, comes the excitement—fizzing, erratic, completely uncontrollable.
I don’t know which is worse.
Anna retakes my hand, her grip steady, grounding, and the only thing keeping me from completely unraveling. We walk toward the entrance, my legs feeling like they’re made of stone. My heart is a relentless drumbeat against my ribs, and I know my palm is slick with sweat against Anna’s, but she doesn’t say anything. She just holds on.
We step into the main foyer, and the cool, sterile air of Daddy’s hotel chain washes over me. It smells the same—lemon scented polished marble, faint traces of expensive cologne—but everything feels different.Unfamiliar.
Johnny strides to the reception desk, his movements quick and efficient. Too casual for the magnitude of what’s about to happen. He collects a key card for the penthouse suite, then requests another for the suite next door.
Colt’s suite.
The place he’s been holed up in. The place where, if things go right, we’ll be face to face, talking, trying to fix what shattered between us.
If things go right.
But if they don’t…I don’t let myself finish the thought.
Johnny walks over and nods. “You ready?”
I inhale sharply and bite my bottom lip.
Johnny turns and strides toward the elevators, his movements brisk, determined, like this is just another task to check off his list.
Anna and I follow closely behind, our steps quieter.
Behind us, the concierge trails along, effortlessly pushing our luggage trolley, as if this is just any other check-in, as if my entire world isn’t about to tilt on its axis.
We step into the elevator, and the doors slide shut with a quietding.
Then, we ascend.
With every floor we pass, my stomach churns, the bile rising higher in my throat.
My body betrays me—my hands tremble, my knees lock, my chest tightens.
I’mphysicallyshaking.
Without a word, Anna slips an arm around my shoulders, pulling me in, her warmth a silent reassurance. I lean into her,but nothing—no amount of comfort—can quiet the storm inside me.
I’m all over the place.
I feel like crying.
I feel like I am losing it.
But I try to keep myself together.
